Farmers Protest in India's Punjab for Compensation, State Chief Calls Unrest 'Unwarranted'

Punjab is an agricultural state, with 84.1 percent of its area being devoted to farming. Of the state's approximately 30 million population, there are about 1.1 million farmers although more than 65 percent of the state's households are associated with farming and rely directly on agriculture.

Hundreds of farmers from different parts of India's Punjab, are protesting throughout the state's capital city of Chandigarh to demand government compensation for the wheat crops that were damaged by a whole concatenation of events, including heatwave, changing the dates of paddy sowing from 10 to 18 June, and the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Several farmers' unions on Tuesday marched towards Chandigarh, calling for an indefinite strike against the state government.

However, they were stopped from entering the capital city.

Since Wednesday morning, farmers from different parts of Punjab have been flocking to the protesters.

Farmers hold march towards Chandigarh to protest against Punjab govt pic.twitter.com/WZ4LYec9gl

— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) May 18, 2022

The farmers want to be compensated for damages to their wheat crops, which was caused by an unprecedented heatwave in March this year.

They are also demanding that the state government roll back its decision to stagger paddy sowing up to 18 June.

Farmers generally sow paddy until 10 June, but, the state government said that to use less electricity and preserve underground water, the dates for sowing should be postponed.

Farmers also want official notification on the price of "Moong Dal" (a pulse), green lentils, and Basmati, a type of rice. The Punjab state government has already accepted the demand.

Protesting Farmers At India's Chandigarh

© Photo : Twitter

The government explained that the start of paddy sowing campaign was pushed back to 18 June because of the monsoon, which is expected to arrive in the third week of the month and end the heatwave as well as the increased demand for the electricity.

State Chief Bhagwant Mann, on Tuesday, also urged the farmers' unions to join the state government's efforts to preserve the state's depleted groundwater supplies.

He called the agitation by state farmers as "unwarranted and undesirable."

Protesting farmers were seen carrying rations, beds, fans, coolers, utensils, cooking gas cylinders and other items, and said that if the government failed to accept their demands, they would protest just as they did for almost a year at Delhi borders.

Protesting Farmers At India's Chandigarh

© Photo : Twitter

The farmers had camped at the Delhi borders and until November 2021 held a year-long protest against three new farm laws which had been passed by the government in September 2020 and were repealed later thanks to the protests.

A spokesman from Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party, Malvinder Singh Kang, said the state government is committed to farmers' welfare. "We will hold talks with them and consider their demands," he said.